Interview 4: Butcher Shop Cashier

Lauren Kavanaugh worked at the Butcher shop as a cashier with her brother since the beginning of the pandemic. Their shop remained open throughout most of the pandemic due to the adjustments and precautions they made. I sat down with Lauren to discuss her experience working at the butcher shop and how their shop remained open throughout the quarantine.

S: Many places shut down due to the pandemic since places were shut down or they did not get enough or any customers during quarantine. Did the pandemic also negatively affect the shop you work at? How did your shop get through?

L: Ok, so, during quarantine we stayed open during all of quarantine. We might have closed down for like a week at some point, but for the most part we remained open. We just put up a shoe sanitizer and hand sanitizer inside. And we only let 20 to 25 people in at a time.

S: So you were not really affected by the pandemic?

L: No, not really. People were still able to shop there.

S: Were there many changes to the regulations and were they hard to get used to?

L: Certain things had to be wrapped differently and then they put up the plastic walls, like the divide between the cashier and customer. And then they would not let people enter the store if they did not follow the sanitary process before entering.

S: How did the owners feel about these new regulations and the whole situation?

L: They did not mind it. They knew that the changes were necessary and they were all for the

regulations. I never heard them complain about it.

S: Since many people chose to order food online and have it delivered to them, did your shop also adjust to this, and have people order it online and then grab it and go without any contact? Did this make things more difficult or easier?

L: We stayed the same. We never did deliveries unless it was like a really big order. People could

call ahead and make orders, but other than that, not many things changed. They could call before

covid, but now they can order online and pick it up.

S: Did calling ahead make it easier?

L: Yeah, it helped with the lines so that the people could prepare the food ahead of time.

S: And do you think that will continue?

L: I think it will continue. It makes it easier and I don’t see a reason to stop doing it.

S: How was handling the customers at the counter? Was it more difficult than before, or did anything really change?

L: It was only more difficult because more of them were rude about it, or had problems with

the whole distancing thing. Sometimes when we told them the rules, they didn’t want to listen, or

they disagreed, or complained about the stupid foot sanitizer.

S: Did this whole experience teach you something?

L: Um… I think it helped all of my coworkers and I with dealing with customers and stuff when they were upset about things I couldn’t control. It taught me how to enforce the rules better.

S: Did you see anything that stood out to you? Did the customers act in a way that stood out?

L: There were some that were extra with the double masks, gloves, and face guard thing, and then there were some who tried to get away with not wearing a mask. They would make it all the way to the meat counter.